US travellers told to expect long delays at airports as DHS shutdown drags on into fourth week
March 11, 2026
Thousands of passengers have faced increasingly lengthy delays at US airports after a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security continued into its fourth week. With a lack of airport security staff turning up to work, delays at security checkpoints have seen queues running into hours, with passengers being advised to arrive at the airport several hours before their flights are due to depart as a result.
A lack of airport security staff results in US travel chaos
Airline passengers attempting to fly from several key US airports in recent days have faced lengthy queues at security checkpoints due to a shortage of staff.
The shortage of trained security staff showing up for work follows a partial US government shutdown, during which many staff employed by the DHS’ Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have been left either unpaid or partially paid since the start of the shutdown on 17 February.
In effect, the DHS has gone without funding since 14 February as a result of Congress’s failure to reach an agreement on future funding for the agency. The Trump administration has blamed the excessive delays solely on the Democrats, who declined to approve the funding proposals without deeper immigration reforms.
The action comes just as air traffic reaches one of the annual peak periods in the US, with school students on Spring Break and domestic travel surges.
Images posted on social media showed long queues on Sunday, 8 March at various US airports, including Houston and New Orleans, where the queues were described as running into several hours.
TSA agents are working for reduced pay during the dispute
As a result, many TSA workers have been working either for partial pay or without pay since 17 February, with numbers turning up for work dwindling as the dispute has continued.
TSA workers are legally required to keep working despite the dispute and the lack of pay, since they are considered to be essential workers for public safety. However, with no paychecks being issued during the shutdown, and with increasing numbers of TSA agents refusing to work for free, shortages at key pinch points at certain airports are becoming critical, leading to widespread delays.
While any unpaid salaries are likely to be repaid to employees once the dispute is resolved, this is not proving to be motivational enough to keep staff turning up for work at airports across the US.
On Sunday,8 March, the situation may appear to reach a peak, with security queues at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) reported to stretch into the airport’s car park, as travellers took to social media to complain.
The airport said that a shortage of workers was causing the delays and advised travellers to arrive “at least three hours” before their scheduled departure.
Waiting times at some US airports run into several hours
At New Orleans Airport, waiting times for passengers to get through security were said to exceed two hours, causing many passengers to miss their scheduled flights. At Houston’s William P Hobby Airport (HOU), waiting times at security checkpoints exceeded three hours.
The airport operator advised via social media that, because of the delays, passengers should arrive “four or five hours” before their published flight departure times.
Numerous videos and images of passenger queues were posted on social media channels over the past weekend, with the DHS stating that “Americans are now enduring the severe fallout from the Democrat shutdown”.
As reported by the BBC, Lauren Bis, the deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS, said that “Democrats are shamelessly playing politics with national security, punishing hardworking TSA workers and their families. Going without paycheques has led to financial hardship, absences and crippling staffing shortages”, she added.
No end in sight for DHS staff shortages
With at least two major US airports already affected by lengthy queues at TSA checkpoints and no end in sight for the DHS funding dispute, the disruption is expected to spread to other US airports in the coming weeks unless a resolution can be reached.
The dispute between the US government and the DHS centres around Democrats’ refusal to fund the DHS without further restrictions being imposed on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), another agency that falls under the department’s jurisdiction.
They argue that reforms are required after federal ICE agents were found responsible for the deaths of two Minneapolis residents, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were protesting against the Trump administration’s immigration raids in Minnesota in January.
Democrats argue that the DHS should prohibit ICE immigration agents from wearing face masks, provide better identification for officers and tighten rules for obtaining warrants.
However, calls for such measures have been rejected to date. Democratic spokesperson, Washington Senator Patty Murray, said that while Democrats want to see TSA agents getting paid for the work they do, Democrats are not willing to let ICE agents act without impunity and to be held accountable for any actions that they may take while at work.
In the meantime, the official TSA website paused operations on 17 February (the first days of the party shutdown). Visitors to the site are met with the message that the site “will not be updated until after funding is enacted,” leaving travellers without any further source for up-to-date information on the dispute or airport waiting times.
A TSA spokesperson told Fox News Digital that staff managing the website and app have been furloughed as a result of the shutdown.
US carrier JetBlue has issued a statement on the issue, saying that “We recommend arriving at least 3 hours before your scheduled departure time for domestic flights, and at least 4 hours for international flights, to avoid issues making your flight.”
Featured image: Cerib / stock.adobe.com
